Oil filter construction



W. GERHART 2,661,848

Dec. 8, 1953 OIL FILTER CONSTRUCTION Filed April' 12, 1951 5Sheets-Sheet `l Afro/91145K? Dec. 8, 1953 w. A. GERHART 2,661,848

OIL FILTER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 12, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 8,1953 w. A. GERHART 2,661,848

` OIL FILTER CONSTRUCTION Filed April 12, 1951 u3 shgesrsheet 3 y /o' A.//d'o /4 I IN V EN TOR.

sew/M e2/9@ @Zaag Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED PATFEJN T OEF F I vCEv661,848 ..0ILfFILlI'ER1CONSI1RUCTION zWilliam"AfGehat, HarborSpingsfMieh. Applicationflpril 12, 1951,:SerialNm220-,6613 y'1.V(1 2!'.inv1. '(Cl. B10- 166) This invention relates toanoil filterforfaninternaleombustion vengine andmore particularly to Van .oil filterarrangement which :permits .a ready inspection oftheconditionoi theiilter cartridge Within theoil filter-casing.

The conventional oil lter with which ..1 am familiar comprises a tubularmetal v casing, pro. vided with a top metal .coverplateforclosingftheupper end of -the casing. A ltercartridgeisdisposed within .the casing,rand the ,casingds pro vided ywith .an inlet which connects `with ari-oilline from the oil pump of the engineand isralso provided with an outletconnected with .the-.oil lineleading to the variouslubricating-orinces-.of the engine. When it is desired to inspect thecondition of the cartridge v.to :determinevvhiether it should be.replaced by a new cartridge it .is necessary to remove-the topcoverzplate and Withdraw the cartridge from within `the .casinginerderto examine the extent-to Whichsludge vand the like has accumulatedonandinthe oiliilter cartridge. In thevcase `of automobiles .thissinrspection is usually 'performed by theservice sta.- tion attendant.However, since vthe present. filter construction renders inspection of.theicartridge not only time consuming but also aratherimessy procedure,this inspectionsservice is'usually aendered too infrequently.

I am aware that it has been proposed ,heretofore to form .the `filtercasing of .a transparent material. This would enablevisual insneetionzofthe filter cartridge ,without :requiring 4itsaernnval from the casing.Althoughthegprovisionzthe transparent casing would eliminate'.thesneces.- sity for removing the `cartridge .from .the 'ilter casing,this method of inspection introduces a further problem. When aninternahcombustion engine is turned oi'a super-atmospheric pressureobtains in the Iilter casing fora short time. Even after the pressuresubsides toatmospheric, immediate visual inspection of 'the cartridge.through the transparent casngi's Vnot .possible because the lter casing.is still `substantially lled with oil. In order to see theeonditionofthe cartridge it would benecessary .to Waituntil the oil drained out ofthe casing;andibaekithrough the oil lines to the crankcase. Sinceconventional lters are not provided with vents or thelike, .it takesquite some time (3, 4 or even 5 minutes) for the oil to drain out of thelterandthrough vthe relatively small orices in the oillubricatingsystemback to the crankcase of .theengine Thus, the provision of thetransparentcasng-would.require letting theengine stand for aconsiderablelength of time after being turned off before the cartridge could A.be\viewed .through-the transpari ent casing `in `.order .to ofuse.

.Itis :an .obj-,ect .of this invention to ,provide A a lter construction:for ,an internal `combustion engine .which enables visual inspection.of the filter cartridge withoutremoving Ithe cover .plate from the4.casing and Within a relativelyshort timerafter l.the engine is lturned.01T

A yfurther i object of ,the invention `is to provide means associated`withthe `oil filter whichmr motedrainingfof theioil .trom the lter soNthat the VVlength `of time requiredffor lthee-oil .the ilter to returnto the crankcaseiis reduced toa minimum.

A further obj ect` of f the invention fresides: in .the provision of.oil .-lter cartridge :which is constructed such `.that only ar-smallamoun'tfof oil required -to be drained yfrom the i'lltercasing :topermit -visual .inspection of the iilter.

vdetermine its condition A still,-further.object of the .inventionresidesin .theprovision `of a ...transparent cover plate Vfor a filter.casing and va Vvalve means which, with a minimum of timeand expense,can flee .applied to oil iilters of present-day construction to gpermitready `visual inspection -of .the glter y.cartridge withoutrequiring-removal-.of lthe cartridge rom the casing.

Another objeotfof the `inventionis to provide means which can be sold asa package unitr-for converting :filters -of Apresent-day constructioninto .filters Whichvvill .dr-ain .readily and yvquieltly aftertheyengineiis turned .o

In the drawings:

. =Fig. f1 is avertioal sectional :view yt ;hro.ugli..tliie improved roil filter of fnry-iinvention.

Fig. 2A :is nansectional `.vievv along fthe `lines 1.2-.-.2 in Fig. .11.

Fig. r3 is a fragmentary .sectional :View o'f another ormLof valvermeansdor the fiilter.

Eig. '.4 :shows an oil filter `connected with lan automatic reliefvalve. Y

flig. i5 .isia somewhat diagrammatic view. showing a further.modification sure relieving .meansfor z the oil filter.

Fig. 16 .is av sectional `:view of .another Imodified form .of f oil'.iilter.

Fig. 7 Vis a `ragmentary theilines :1--1 infFig-.r

There is' illustratedinFig. f1 :an .oililterihaving an outer y casing t0which .is -`closed at .its upper end by a removable cover plate I2.Casin-g till has a conieally shaped .bottom .vv-all le providedysectional ivievv :along withanoutletiitting =|6 .attheilowerfend'thereof. lThe side Wall of the casing is fashioned with anof i. the venting: or apres--` oil inlet I8. An upstanding pipe 2@within casing li! is secured to the bottom wall le of the casing as bywelding or the like. Pipe 2t is disposed within the casing such as toprovide an outlet passage from the casing to outlet iit ting I6.

The ltering means is in the form of a tubular cartridge 22 provided withtop and bottom walls 24 and 25, respectively, and with concentric innerand outer annular side walls 28 and 312. Cartridge 22 is dimensionedsuch that, when it is positioned within casing IG, the side wall Se isspaced inwardly of the side wall 32 of casing iii to provide an annularpassage 34 between the casing and the cartridge. rEhe inner wall 28 ofcasing IG defines an axial passage through the cartridge which is largerin diameter than the external diameter of pipe 2t whereby to provide anannular outlet passage 35 between the cartridge and the pipe 20. Theside wall 35 of cartridge 22 is substantially imperforate while the topwall 2t of the cartridge is provided with a plurality of openings 38.The cartridge is lled with a material IW suitable for filtering oil.Around the lower portion of inner wall 28 cartridge 22 is provided withseries of openings t2 out of which oil ows from the container. Adjacentits upper end and within the axial extent of cartridge 22, pipe 2Q isformed with a pair of opposed openings M by means of which the Filteredoil in passage 3e flows into pipe 2D and out of the filter throughoutlet tting I6. A length of tubing 46 connects ntting i6 with the oillines for supplying oil to the bearings, etc. (not shown).

In order to provide for the proper flow oi on through the lter, gaskets42 and 58 are arranged around pipe Z in sealing engagement with theupper and lower walls 2e and 26, respectively, of

the cartridge. At its upper end pipe 2e is ine ternally threaded for thereception of a threaded plug 52 which serves to hold cover plate i2 onthe casing. A rubber gasket 54 may be employedfor providing a leakeproofjoint between the cover plate I2 and the casing. Cover plate I2 in thisform of the invention is formed of a transparent material. A spring 5Eacts between the inner face of cover l2 and the top face of cartridge 22through the medium of gasket 5t tobias the cartridge to the positionillustrated l in Fig. l.

In conventionaliilters with which I am familiar the inlet i8 of thecasing I8 is usually connected directly with the oil line leading fromthe pump in the crankcase or oil pan of the engine. n my arrangement Iconnect with inlet i3 a T-shaped valve fitting Eil which connects on theone side with the oil line Sii leading from the oil pump (not shown) tothe iilter casing and on the other side with an oil line E2 leading fromthe casing l0 to the oil pan or crankcase of the engine. Fitting E8 isformed with two intersecting passages 64 and 5S. Passage 54 is in opencommunication with oil line 66 and `casing it. Passage Se is normallyclosed and controlled by a valve T0 which includes a plunger 'i2 havinga passage 'id therein. Plunger i2 is normally biased by a spring 'lt toa position wherein the body portion of the plunger intersects and closespassage EB. Plunger 12 is provided with a push button member i8 which isarranged to be manually depressed so as to align passage 14 with passage66. f

When the engine is operating oil ilows from the pump (not shown) throughthe line S8, passage 65 in iitting 58, and into casing Hl. Since theouter walls of cartridge 22 are imperforate with the exception of theopening 38 in the tcp wall of the cartridge, the oil travels the coursegenerally indicated by arrows in Fig. l. The oil iows upwardly in theannular space 3ft between walls 32 and 3G to the upper end of the ltercartridge. lt then hows downwardly through the openings 33 in the topwall Eil o the cartridge and downwardly through the lter material de inthe cartridge. The iilter material 4Q removes the foreign material inthe oil and the filtered, relatively clean oil flows out of thecartridge through openings i2 and upwardly through the annular space 35between pipe 2li and wall 28.

Y Since the annular passage Se is closed at both its n, (li.)

upper and lower ends by gaskets :le and 50, the oil under pressurepasses through openings it in the pipe 2t and downwardly through pipe2i] and outlet iitting le to the oil line i6 which extends to thevarious lubricating orices in the engine, such as at the bearings andthe like.

When the motor is sto :pcd it will be appreciated that casing it andcartridge 22 are subf stantially completely filled with oil underpressure. If the motor is permitted to remain idle, this oil willgradually drain from the casing through the lines te and 8i). However,since both or these lines are more or less restricted, this drainageoccurs very slowly. The oil draining through line fii has to flowthrough the tiny lubricating orices around the bearings and the like andthe oil draining through line Fill has to ow back through the oil pump.

I have found that the oil within the casing can be drained very rapidlyby simply depressing push button 'f8 to align passage 'M in plunger l2with passage 5S in fitting 58. When these pa.,- sages are aligned theoil flows freely through inlet lil and fitting 53 through oil line 62.Since conduit t2 simply leads to the oil pan, the flow in this conduitis relatively free and not impaired by any restrictions or by backpressure which is the case with lines #it and B. After suiiicient *l oilhas drained from casing iii to expose the top portion of cartridge 22push button 'it may be released, the top wall 2li of cartridge 22 can beviewed readily through the transparent cover plate i2 to determine thecondition of the filter cartridge 22. The construction of the cartridge22, it will be noted, is such that the top wall of the cartridge willindicate the condition of the cartridge, since, when the cartridgebecomes dirty and clogged, the oil sludge will accumulate on this topwall.

In Fig. 3 there is illustrated a different means which may be employedfor promoting the draining of oil from the oil iilter casing illustratedin l. In this embodiment there is provided a vent generally referencedThis vent is preferably contained within the plug 82 which is threadedlyengaged with the upper end of pipe 2t' to retain transparent cover plateit in position on casing 2?.. The vent Sii is preferably in the form ora springbiased ball check valve Srl provided with a push button se. Thecheck valve te is arranged to normally close 'a passage Se in plug 32which opens at one end to atmosphere and at the other end to theinterior or" pipe Zl.

I have found that the oil within casing 22 will drain much more rapidlytrom the casing even through the conventional inlet and outlet lines etand 6, respectively, when the casing is vented to atmosphere. The lventSi) illustrated n Fig. 3 therefore provides a very economical and`com/enientiy positioned `:fneans :for prometn ing the Lreturn-ofoilfrom the filter=casing`tolthe cra-nkcase so thatthe condition-ofthecartridge can be ascertained within :a minimum "of time after the'engine turned off. :When `it .isfdesired'to cheekIv the condition ofthecartridge with the arrangement illustrated -in 3 the service stationattendant Amerely depresses the :push button 3s after the engine lhasbeen stepped and keeps the push button in a depressed condition untilthe oil level in the ilterlcasing has receded to apoint below theapertured top wall-@fief the cartridge.

In Fig. 4 there is shown a `rnedined arrangement wherein theoililterincludesa transparent tubular casing V96 provided with metaloever plates .92 and VSe at the upper and lower thereof. rihe cartridgede within casing yternary be of .standard Aconsti-uction vand -ha-s itsside wall s3 formed with a plurality ofopenings |66 through which theoilmayvflcw into the filter material lei within the cartridge. Anoilinlet line lille connects the casing withan'oil passage ist withinAthe motor block |38. Passage itil? is on the outlet side of the oil.pump .i i6. Vrlie eil outlet line i2 is connected at one end into thelower end of the oil filter casing 9' and at its other end outlet line'l l2 connects with a passage lli in the motor block `which leads 'tothe various lubricating orifices.

In this arrangement 'quick draining ci the oil the casing 9) is promotedYby the check valve l'enerallyreferenced H6. Valve M6 is positioned inan oil line iii: which connects with passage Sl at one end and whichdischarges freely into the crankcase (not shown) at fthe other end. Thischeck. valve may be kof1conventional construction and includes a ballmember $28 biased by a light spring |22 to a position opening port |24ln the open position ball member 12E) seats vupon a plurality of iins|26 in passage i i8 which permits the oil to low around the ball memberlit through port |2|3 and through passage #it to the crankcase.

Spring |22 is selected engine is running, the oil pressure produced bypump H5 is suiicient to cause ball member l2?! to compress spring |22and close port 24 so that the oil flow is through line |96, through theoil lter, through the cartridge del, bacl: to the engine block throughline |52, and to the lubricating orifices through lines |54. However,when the motor is stopped pump lil ceases to pump oil under pressure andball member mi is by spring |22 to the open position. The oil in casing5@ is therefore free to return to the cranku case through line Ht. Inthis manner pump is by-passed and the casing 96 is drained readily,since the oil ilows freely through line H8. l

The arrangements illustrated in Figs. 1 through Li, it will be noted,are adapted to be sold as packaged units to replace conventional iiltersalready installed on automotive vehicles. The check valve ||6illustrated in Fig. 4 can be connected into the oil inlet line from theengine block and need not be positioned within the block itself. The oilline I 8 can be arranged exteriorly of the motor block so as to draininto the crankcase through the conventional dip-stick tubing or the oilfilling spout.

The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 5 is primarily adapted forincorporation in the engine itself as distinguished from a replacementunit such as is illustrated in Figs. l through 4. In this such that,when the |64, passage maand passage arrangementitlrre :oil lflter i3d,.of lthe ltypelilluse tratedfin Fig. '1, iszconnected with. Athe iengine i532 by an vinlet oil :line .434 and an." outlet 'oil line S36.Theiengine includes arblock |38 to `which is securedtheoihpans'l'dli.The'inlet'line idd is-,connected to .theipump |42 within the l'cil panand the'routlet linel 35 `leads ft'o the bearings `which are arrangedfto be lubricated. :For the purpose of .promoting :quick :draining 'ofthe -oil :in -iilter ldsflvhave icuml :that one 'or more smallxucennings |46Inay be formedrin oil line tesi. Opening ldeisformed in thatportionoi oilline de which isidisposedjwithin the ojiLpan ist.Vifportien,fof thecil which is pursued by eu. p M5 will scuirtoutthrough epening ll. However, the new oi' oilthrough-.ilter ist; inanramount necessary .for proper .lubrication-can begin sured 1in"creasing thecaleaeity of pump dei.

Withthe arrangement *illustratedv -in-Fig. f5 it will.-be\appreciatedthat-as soon as the engineis stopped, the oil in lter i3@will .drain freely through rline '34 land back to the eil Ipan dgl-5through jopenings it. Therefore, .after the lengine Yhas been stopped`for only a vrelatively short periodof time, the oil levelin :filter.i3d will re cede yto a. pointenablingthe visual inspection .eithelil'ter cartridge ywithin-.the iilter through the transparent .coverplate M8. L'Inltheconstructionillustrated in Figs. 6 and -7 the Ililtercartridge |56 lis constructed generally along the "lines .of ltheucartridge v2,2 illustrated. in Figs. '.1 and.2 4wth'theexception-however, that the top wall 52 is, provided with a well\|.54.Well 54 is simply a depression formedin .top `wall |52, the bottom-cfthe depressi-on being disposed at a level lowerthan the. plane of'topwall.- |52. Casing |56 is substantially the same as .thecasingillustrated in Figs. `1 and 2.and the cover. plate |58 -is formedof a transparent material as is thecover plate l2. Cover plate 158 isprovided with a fitting |66 which, on the underside of the cover, hasconnected thereto a short piece of tubing |62 which is arranged to dipinto well |54. The lower end of tubing |62 is spaced above the bottom ofwell |54 but below the plane of top wall |52 of cartridge |50. On theouter side of cover |58 f1tting |66 is connected with a conduit |64which extends laterally from cover 58 and which is bent downwardly as at|66. The lower end of conduit |64 terminates at the level of the lowerend of cartridge |50 and is provided with a valve |68 having the samegeneral construction as valve 1|) illustrated in Fig. 1. Valve 168 isprovided with a spring-biased plunger |16 which when actuated is adaptedto establish communication between conduit |64 and a conduit 'l2 whichis connected with the oil pan of the engine such as through the dipstick holder (not shown). Oil from the oil pump of the engine isconducted into casing |56 through an inlet conduit |14 and the lteredoil is discharged from the filter through an outlet conduit |16 whichconnects with the oil lines for supplying oil to the bearings, etc. forlubrication.`

The oil flow through the filter construction illustrated in Figs. 6 and7 is generally the same as that described with referencev to Figs. 1 and2. The base difference between these two constructions is the manner inwhich the lter casing is quickly drained to enable viewing the top Wall|52 of cartridge |56 to ascertain the condition of cleanliness of thellter cartridge. In the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 it willbe observed that, during normal operation of the engine, Well |54 andconduits |62 and |64 will be lled with oil which ows into the casingthrough inlet conduit |14. When the engineis stopped and it is desiredto inspect the filter cartridge |59, the service station attendantmerely depresses plunger |18 to permit the oil in conduit F54 to flowdownwardly through conduit 112 and to the oil pan. It will be observedthat the oil fiowing downwardly in conduit |64 produces a syphoningaction in well |54 and the oil in the upper portion of the filter willflow out through conduits |62 and |64 until the level of the oil recedesto below the lower end of conduit |62. Since the lower end of conduit|62 is disposed below the level of top wall |52, it is obvious thatWithin a matter of seconds the oil in the upper portion of the filterwill be drained to a level below the top wall |52 and the condition ofthe filter can thus be readily ascertained by viewing it through thetransparent cover plate |58.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a filter construction for aninternal combustion engine which renders the inspection of the ltercartridge a relatively simple operation. The provision of a transparentwindow on the filter casing in combination with the means for promotingthe return of oil from the lter to the oil pan provides an arrangementwhich enables quick inspection of the cartridge without soiling in anyway the hands of the person inspecting the lter. Furthermore, I haveprovided a lter cartridge which is designed to permit the inspectionthereof much more feasible by designing the cartridge such that sludgeand the like accumulate on the top wall of the filter. With thisarrangement it will be appreciated that as soon as the oil level in thefilter recedes to a point below the top wall of the cartridge thecondition of the cartridge may be readily ascertained by viewing thecartridge through the transparent top cover plate on the filter.

1' claim:

An oil filter for an internal combustion engine comprising a casinghaving an inlet and an outlet for conducting oil through said casing,said casing having an upper end portion formed at least in part of atransparent material, a filter cartridge in said casing, said filtercartridge having a generally fiat top wall disposed adjacent saidtransparent end portion, means forming a well in said top wall the lowerend of which is disposed at a level below the plane of said top wall,said top wall being apertured to admit oil to the interior of saidcartridge, and conduit means having one end disposed within said wellbelow the level of said top wall and having another end disposedexteriorly of said casing, said last mentioned end being disposed at alevel below the bottom of said well and being provided with valve meansfor opening and closing said last mentioned end of said conduit wherebywhen said casing and said conduit are lled with oil and said valve isactuated to open the oil flowing downwardly through said conduitproduces a syphoning action on the oil within the said well and therebycauses the oil in said casing to drain out of said casing until the oilin said casing rece-des to a level beiow the plane of said top wall.

WILLIAM A. GERHART.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITEE STATES EATENTS NumberName Date 1,942,549 Hampton Jan. 9, 1934 2,110,124 Fitzgerald Mar. 8,1938 2,134,385 Winslow Oct. 25, 1938 2,276,118 Taylor Mar. l0, 19422,473,032 Le Clair June 14, 1949 2,554,743 Lewis May 29, 1951

